Help with strings, LABELLA 1954 flats or LABELLA OLINTO FLATS

[retslock]

I'm planning to buy new flats for this christmas, i use a Fender 1995 MIM Precision bass with Rotosound jazz 77s and i play mostly motown-ish, soul or funk music. The Rotosounds feel really good on my fingers but i want an ´´upgrade´´, can anyone help me with an advice on which one should i choose? pros and cons of both strings? please.

What do you want from your new strings? Your use of the term 'upgrade' is interesting.
I've used the 77s standard gauge, La Bella DTF 760FS-B (5 string set) and Tape Wound 760N-B (also 5 string set) and Chromes and I like them all for different reasons but I wouldn't regard any of them as an upgrade on any other string type. They are simply different.
I play similar music genres to you and all of the strings I've mentioned do the job well. DTFs are very smooth to the touch and are stiffer than most others. They are probably the classic flat sound we've all heard often. Chromes are not quite as smooth or as stiff and while a tad brighter - very little - they are still well in the old school flat category. The Tape Wound sound great and have a nice feel to them but I prefer a stiffer string. You already know about Rotosound 77s. I like the gritty edge they have but they're not as smooth to the touch.
If you can define the characteristics you're looking for you'll get answers here from people who have tried many different string brands and types.
Upgrade? No, just different.

 

[FenderP]

The Tape Wound sound great and have a nice feel to them but I prefer a stiffer string. You already know about Rotosound 77s. I like the gritty edge they have but they're not as smooth to the touch.

Tapes vary wildly in terms of stiffness. The RS88 set to me is as stiff as the 77 on my basses. Rotos definitely are NOT anyone's string if you don't like stiff (77 or 88 sets). The other tapes I've tried are definitely more floppy and not to my liking (Pyramid, Galli, LaBella).

 

[Iristone]

How’s the bottom end compared to standard gauge flats? They are light gauge and low tension.

IME the Thomastiks have a weak bottom end. Not due to tension - La Bella 760FX has got a fine low end. I just don't like the overall Thomastik tone.
Every gauge of La Bella is just a variation on the same (GREAT) core tone, so I'd just pick the gauge closest to what you're used to. The Olinto is designed to be a bit more flexible than what the gauge would indicate, and a bit brighter too. Since I'm tired of the half-round Rotosound 77 sound, too, I'd like to try the Olinto or Super Polished when I need a brighter tone (currently I use it as my avatar because the cattle looks cute).

 

[andare]

IME the Thomastiks have a weak bottom end. Not due to tension - La Bella 760FX has got a fine low end. I just don't like the overall Thomastik tone.
Every gauge of La Bella is just a variation on the same (GREAT) core tone, so I'd just pick the gauge closest to what you're used to. The Olinto is designed to be a bit more flexible than what the gauge would indicate, and a bit brighter too. Since I'm tired of the half-round Rotosound 77 sound, too, I'd like to try the Olinto or Super Polished when I need a brighter tone (currently I use it as my avatar because the cattle looks cute).

I've played TIs only briefly but I second the impression that they lack bottom end. They have a lot of midrange and not much else. Paired with the wet noodle feel, I'll never understand why they are so popular.

 

[butterfingers1]

I never thought of the LaBella Deep Talkins as scooped, but after seeing others describe them this way I agree. They have a bright bell ring in the highs, even the 1954s, and almost boomy lows.

As others have said, the Olintos may be described as mid-frequency forward. They definitely don’t have those highs nor lows of the Deep Talkins. They sound smoother and better balanced while retaining the bigness, and more flexible. They are my favourite.

 

[bassboysam]

I never thought of the LaBella Deep Talkins as scooped, but after seeing others describe them this way I agree. They have a bright bell ring in the highs, even the 1954s, and almost boomy lows.

As others have said, the Olintos may be described as mid-frequency forward. They definitely don’t have those highs nor lows of the Deep Talkins. They sound smoother and better balanced while retaining the bigness, and more flexible. They are my favourite.

totally agree, although as the Olintos age the mids do seem to settle in nicely without losing definition.